“Step up to the Plate,” Part 2

In the previous blog post, I told about a prophetic word the Lord had given me. What He said was, “It’s time to step up to the plate.” I encouraged each one of us that now was the time to activate the dreams we have.

Many of us are ready and willing to launch out, but we just needed a little nudge to do what we’ve wanted to do for a long time. However, some of us may be held back because of the condition of our heart.

Some of us have stayed in the batter’s box, pushing the “pause” button on the dreams that have been floating around in our hearts. We see ourselves as ill-equipped, unworthy, or too small to play. Others of us have endured struggle and pain to the point of being worn down.

I’ve identified three conditions of the heart that can keep us from stepping up to the plate. They are: the Passive Heart, the Discouraged Heart, and the Captive Heart. You may find yourself in one, or all three of these places, but the good news is you don’t have to stay there!

Today, I’m going to write about the Passive Heart.

With a war going on around us, sometimes we get tired, or passive, or we just give up.

In 2 Samuel 11, we find the story of King David and how he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Verse 1 says, “Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.”

Francis Frangipane wrote in This Day we Fight: “David’s sin with Bathsheba was directly related to his passive spirit. Instead of going out to battle like the other kings, he stayed at home. That passivity opened him up to temptation because he wasn’t doing what God had called him to do.”

We must step up to the plate where God has called us, for our own development as well as for those we love. There is a war between good and evil, and even though we know the ending to the story—The Kingdom of God wins!—there are battles that must be fought. Each of us must be fully engaged in using our gifts and completing the assignments that have been entrusted to us in order to establish His Kingdom in our own spheres of influence.

Our attitude should not be que sera sera—what will be will be—because…it doesn’t have to be! Prayer and those who put action to their prayers can change the world!

1. Ask yourself if you’ve become passive and have been happy to watch others fight while you watch from the stands.

2. Identify where you’ve been holding back.

3. If possible, ask a friend to pray with you in order to break off passivity from your heart. You may also pray on your own.

4. Take steps to put feet on those dreams.

It’s time to move from Passivity to Engagement. You’re the only one who can fight the battles that have been entrusted to you!